UT scientists have found that the Nile River is about six times older than previously thought.
Ancient Egyptians considered the Nile river to be the source of all life. The steady northward path of the river has nourished the fertile valleys of northeast Africa for millions of years and in doing so, shaped the course of human civilization.
The Nile’s unchanging path, however, has been a geologic mystery because long-lived rivers usually move over time. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have cracked the case by linking the river’s flow to the movement of rock in the Earth’s deep mantle. In the course of their investigation, they found the eternal river to be much older than anyone realized, with the scientists estimating the age of the Nile to be 30 million years – about six times as long as previously thought.
The research, published on Nov. 11 in the journal Nature Geoscience, found that if it weren’t for the mantle movement keeping the river on course, the Nile would have turned west long ago, probably changing the course of history along with it.
“One of the big questions about the Nile is when it originated and why it has persisted for so long,” said lead author Claudio Faccenna, a professor at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences. “Our solution is actually quite exciting.”
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Image via University of Texas at Austin
